tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833916756481672562015-02-10T08:08:10.393-08:00Just What I HeardThe official website of journalist RJ WaltersRJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.comBlogger587125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-55734886673133062832011-08-09T08:43:00.000-07:002011-08-09T08:43:06.099-07:00Eddie Money rocks Jackson County Fair with patriotic tunes, old favorites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tBC9RGWe0yU/TkFVILaxqEI/AAAAAAAABhw/E84qHcKz6Yw/s1600/Money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tBC9RGWe0yU/TkFVILaxqEI/AAAAAAAABhw/E84qHcKz6Yw/s320/Money.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Eddie Money serenaded the Jackson County Fair crowd with a blaring harmonica and fancy two-step Monday night, but he also reminded fans he has plenty of American soul left in his classic rock ’n’ roll.<br /><br />People of all ages swayed back and forth harmoniously, many with hands on their hearts, as the singer-songwriter performed his contemporary single “One More Soldier Coming Home” midway through an energetic set at the grandstand.<br /><br />“It’s 117 degrees in Baghdad last I checked — and this song is for our servicemen and (service)women in Afghanistan, Iraq and everywhere,” the 62-year-old rocker said.<br /><br />The remainder of his set was a timewarp back to the 1980s when Money performed at the fair in 1987.<br /><br />Top-40 hits such as “Walk on Water” and “Take Me Home Tonight” had 40somethings in the half-capacity crowd high-fiving and reminiscing of years gone by.<br /><br />Kevin Lashley, 43, of Jackson remembers seeing Money play at the Jackson County Fair when he was in high school.<br /><br />“My favorite has got to be ‘Two Tickets to Paradise,’ ” he said. “I still enjoy it. … Today’s rock, you can’t even understand the lyrics.” Money wasn’t just high on patriotism Monday, he had plenty of energy to rile up the crowd with his shirt half unbuttoned and his vocals blaring with youthfulness.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aJGpe_6H5bM/TkFVXkA2txI/AAAAAAAABh0/4civvgDe9z0/s1600/FUN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aJGpe_6H5bM/TkFVXkA2txI/AAAAAAAABh0/4civvgDe9z0/s320/FUN.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>“Is it a party or what? I never did this for the money, I do it for you guys,” Money yelled. “That’s not totally true, I’ve got five kids at home so I’ll do whatever it takes to get out of the house.”<br /><br />Bruce Todd, 59, of Jackson said he has yet to find a better musical experience than Money.<br /><br />He said he has seen him perform live in Toledo, Detroit and Chicago, as well as in Jackson. He also owns every one of his CDs.<br /><br />“I like Eddie Money because he’s really a good person with a heart of gold, and of course he knows how to sing,” Todd said.<br /><br />Starship featuring Mickey Thomas opened for Money, drawing a standing ovation for a booming rendition of “We Built This City on Rock and Roll” to close their set.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/08/eddie_money_rocks_jackson_coun.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on Aug. 9, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-47266841428680152202011-08-04T08:46:00.000-07:002011-08-09T08:50:33.364-07:00Wildcat Garden has taken root with students in Albion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q6ykbTBsVOE/TkFXI_ByeoI/AAAAAAAABh4/S6Xh2DMNd14/s1600/Wildcat+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q6ykbTBsVOE/TkFXI_ByeoI/AAAAAAAABh4/S6Xh2DMNd14/s640/Wildcat+Garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Seeds planted by an Albion College professor and student have blossomed into a community of young women who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty or try new foods.<br /><br />Behind Albion High School sits the Wildcat Garden, the brainchild of Albion College professor Trisha Franzen and senior sociology major Rachel Keener. The quarter-acre lot is home to more than 20 fruits and vegetables, as well as herbs and flowers<br /><br />A hand-painted old headboard welcomes visitors into the landscape where fresh watermelons are almost ripe, several rows of corn are sprouting up and imaginations can run rampant under the hot summer sun.<br /><br />What Franzen started with the help of Sandra Langston in 2006 — when she formed the Albion Girls Club to introduce her students to young Albion Public Schools girls — has grown into something that continues to get bigger and better with each passing year.<br /><br />In 2010, Keener started a nutrition-based summer program through funds provided by the college’s Foundation for Undergraduate Research Scholarship. This summer, FURSCA has paid for her to stay in Albion and transform the garden.<br /><br />“It’s been really amazing, and it helps that Trisha is a really good gardener and we started with a small garden last fall,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but I’ve loved getting to know people in Albion better and spending the summer here.”<br /><br />Keener said she has always enjoyed gardening, but she never envisioned she would spend 40-plus hours a week pulling weeds and cultivating community relationships.<br /><br />“We like to joke because on Thursdays after we are done out here we have to go to faculty meetings for the research program, and we always come covered in dirt and everyone else has nice clothes on,” she said.<br /><br />The Albion Community Foundation is an active donor to the cause, helping fund raised beds that run upward of $100 each, as well as seeds and compost soil.<br /><br />The plot also has created a setting where it’s chic to talk about nutrition and local food sources.<br /><br />Keener said about two-thirds of students in Albion receive free or reduced-cost lunches, meaning many have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables.<br /><br />Sinking her teeth into a tiny, bright red strawberry full of seeds last week, Albion High School senior Sharla Rider said eating homegrown fruits and vegetables has greater appeal over commercialized products.<br /><br />“The store-bought were hard and not as sweet, just not as juicy when we compared them,” she said of the homegrown strawberries.<br /><br />Several Albion Public Schools administrators have made frequent visits to the garden, and Keener encourages people to join in the project with “open sessions” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday.<br /><br />Franzen said it will be tough to replace Keener’s dedication to the cause once she graduates, but her goal is to sell fresh produce at the Albion farmers market and even high school football games in the future.<br /><br />“I think overall people are really thrilled that we’re doing this,” she said<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/08/wildcat_garden_has_taken_root.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on Aug. 4, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-76408394217026078452011-07-29T08:22:00.000-07:002011-07-29T08:22:41.670-07:00Village of Concord may offer to fill residents' pools for a price -- after village president was chastised for filling his pool without permission<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eeY3sdiU0i4/TjLQM5XyrQI/AAAAAAAABho/9QVucz3WUuc/s1600/Welcome+to+Concord%2521.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="394" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eeY3sdiU0i4/TjLQM5XyrQI/AAAAAAAABho/9QVucz3WUuc/s400/Welcome+to+Concord%2521.png" width="400" /></a></div>Filling pools with local fire hydrants in Concord <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/concord_village_president_in_h.html">should no longer invoke strong public retribution</a> if one fire board member has his way.<br /><br />Kevin Lovitt said filling pools could instead be a way for firefighters to get much-needed hands-on training with the hoses and potentially profit the village.<br /><br />“I’d like to see our village adopt (a new policy) and say we’re not going to tell anybody they can’t do this, but we’re going to set up parameters and you’re going to pay for the services and the village would make out on it,” he said.<br /><br />Lovitt said he plans to bring up the idea at the Aug. 17 fire board meeting.<br /><br />His brother, Village President Mike Lovitt, filled his pool with village water without permission in June — later paying $68.82 for the water. <br /><br />“Was he wrong? Yes. I stood right there and said, ‘Don’t do this, it’s going to blow up in your face,” Kevin Lovitt said.<br /><br />“What pisses me off is all these people have turned on my brother,” Kevin Lovitt said. “And he and (former village president) Paul (Colburn) and some of those board members have worked hard to clean a lot of things up in the village of Concord. My brother never broke a law or violated an ordinance.”<br /><br />Colburn objected to Lovitt’s use of a fire hydrant, having paid $660 for his pool to be filled just a week earlier. He said the past two years the Concord fire chief and public works supervisor told him residents cannot use hydrants for personal use.<br /><br />On Tuesday he called for Mike Lovitt and other involved councilmembers to step down. Wednesday, he said he’d be satisfied with a “fair” monetary agreement and the creation of a new policy.<br /><br />“What I would like to see is I’d like to see (Lovitt) pay the amount I paid — that’s all I want,” he said. “If I was to get the money from it, I would donate it to some charity in town because all I want is justice, not money.”<br /><br />He said a new policy should specifically outline what local fire hydrants can and cannot be used for by residents and what the penalty for violating the policy would be.<br /><br />“To be honest with you I think it’s something our community could make some money off of and we don’t have to charge the fees that other (pool servicers) do,” Colburn said. <br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/village_of_concord_may_offer_t.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 28, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-85252728675869288632011-07-27T06:08:00.000-07:002011-07-27T06:08:28.834-07:00Concord village president in hot water after using fire hydrant to fill swimming pool<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A12wqFLU_0g/TjANrscQjAI/AAAAAAAABhE/krwS5bBtwmY/s1600/220px-Fire-hydrant-demorest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A12wqFLU_0g/TjANrscQjAI/AAAAAAAABhE/krwS5bBtwmY/s1600/220px-Fire-hydrant-demorest.jpg" /></a>The Concord village president is contrite for improperly filling his pool with a village fire hydrant, but said Tuesday he won’t resign from his seat.<br /><br />Village president Mike Lovitt filled his pool at his home on Hanover Street in June. Three other village council members and three Concord Fire Department board members were present.<br /><br />Former village president Paul Colburn said the pool was filled with a fire hose from the Pulaski Township Fire Department, where two Concord Fire Department board members are employed.<br /><br />Colburn said Lovitt “should step down because that’s what anybody with any integrity would do.”<br /><br />“If you didn’t think it was illegal, why would you drive seven or eight miles to Pulaski to get a hose when you’ve got one sitting here in the village office and several down at the firehouse?” Colburn said.<br /><br />Lovitt apologized at the June 28 council meeting and said Tuesday it was a “spur-of-the-moment” decision he regretted. Still, he insisted it was not illegal.<br /><br />After being approached by Police Chief Steve Sinden, Lovitt paid $68.82 for using village water.<br /><br />“I admitted to making a bad decision. I violated a policy, and I made a public apology for that bad decision,” Lovitt said.<br /><br />Roughly a week before Lovitt filled his pool, Colburn paid $660 to have his pool at his home filled. He said the Concord fire chief and public works supervisor told him residents cannot use hydrants for personal use.<br /><br />On Tuesday, Colburn said he was considering seeking $660 from the village.<br /><br />“I can set up a pool-filling business in this town now as long as I have a fireman to hook up and (unhook) for me,” he said. “There’s no fine, so I can drain off that fire hydrant anytime I want without any retribution.”<br /><br />Lynn Roberts, wife of Concord police Sgt. Larry Roberts, said Colburn should be reimbursed for filling his pool and Lovittt and all of the council members who were at Lovitt’s house — Kelly Gretz, Craig Adams and Ashley Meeks — should step down.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/concord_village_president_in_h.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 27, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-32547212533391417972011-07-26T06:16:00.000-07:002011-07-26T06:16:55.810-07:00Consumers Energy powers the community through intern program<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iLXRsTNHDng/Ti6-N4zLmGI/AAAAAAAABgc/qxTEv6K8enA/s1600/185329_223039917740002_205527672824560_627944_6671096_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iLXRsTNHDng/Ti6-N4zLmGI/AAAAAAAABgc/qxTEv6K8enA/s400/185329_223039917740002_205527672824560_627944_6671096_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It’s no secret Consumers Energy has been powering Jackson through the hottest month of the year, but&nbsp;some of its most vital energy sources might be a surprise.<br /><br />Frosting, sprinkles and hot fudge, to name a few.<br /><br />The sweet favorites were staples Monday evening at a dessert and movie gathering hosted by Consumers interns at the Jackson Interfaith Shelter as part of the company’s Summer Intern Challenge.<br /><br />Adults enjoyed ice cream sundaes and popcorn, while kids indulged in a “create your own cupcake” station. The grown-ups and teenagers watched “The Blind Side,” and youngsters viewed “Tangled.”<br /><br />“The people are nice, and just being able to put what I want on my cupcake is my favorite thing,” said 8-year-old Malina Triplett of Jackson, who was showing off her creation with her twin sister, Malia.<br /><br />For the fifth straight summer, a majority of Consumers’ interns are using July to give back to the community by partnering with organizations such as the Salvation Army, American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.<br /><br />“A big part of Consumers Energy is we’re a very giving culture, so having interns participate and be able to be a part of that gives them a real valuable experience of what it would be like to be part of our company on a full-time basis,” said Carolyn Bloodworth, the company’s director of corporate giving.<br /><br />She said 14 teams of volunteers are doing everything from hosting book drives to repairing houses.<br />Jackson High School graduate Suzanne McCloskey, a graphic design intern, said it is rewarding to donate time to the community where she grew up.<br /><br />“I’ve worked in the Interfaith Shelter … and I just thought it would be beneficial to help out,” the 26-year-old Baker College student said. “I know it’s been a tough year.”<br /><br />Her team of seven interns provided the shelter with more than tasty food. They are finishing a toiletries drive at Consumers, partnered with local businesses to offer massages and manicures Monday and are helping the shelter establish its identity online.<br /><br />“We helped create a Facebook page, and my teammates are putting PayPal on there so the shelter will now be able to accept online donations,” McCloskey said.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/consumers_energy_interns_give.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 26, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-55498061899806886412011-07-23T10:54:00.000-07:002011-07-23T10:54:12.627-07:00Albion School Board withdraws offer, re-extends it to interim superintendent in span of five minutesAmidst a sea of passionate debate amongst locals the Albion School Board has decided to enter contract negotiations with Bobbi Morehead to become it’s interim superintendent for a second time.<br /><br />But the former principal is not yet publicly addressing several issues that have created apprehension among several board members and a section of community members that remain adamant that Albion native Maurice Ware is a better candidate.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nh14iEj769U/Th2b6YpYrpI/AAAAAAAABeo/m-KE1cI5OTs/s1600/Caldwell+Elementary+-+Caldwell+Elementary.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nh14iEj769U/Th2b6YpYrpI/AAAAAAAABeo/m-KE1cI5OTs/s320/Caldwell+Elementary+-+Caldwell+Elementary.png" width="320" /></a>“(Morehead) texted me back earlier today and informed me she is not making any comments until she has signed a contract to be our interim superintendent,” school board President Dan Skean said. “She is excited and enthusiastic about working with us but she has decided to wait to speak until she signs on the line.”<br /><br />In the span of five minutes Tuesday the school board withdrew the offer of the interim superintendent job they extended to the former W.K. Kellogg Middle School principal last week and then elected to offer it to her again via the same 4-3 vote that took place July 12.<br /><br />The board re-visited its initial vote after board members Shawnette Spicer and Sonya Brown suggested Skean had not adequately provided them with all of the necessary information to make “an educated and concerned decision” in the selection process.<br /><br />Spicer, Brown and board member Ruth Valdes also voiced concern about how Morehead handled a particular alleged sexual assault of a former teacher-aide that occurred in the summer of 2010 at W.K. Kellogg Middle School when she was principal.<br /><br />Seth Graves, a detective with the Emmett Township Department of Public Safety investigating the alleged sexual assault, said he had no evidence Morehead knew of, and didn’t report, the alleged relationship between the employee and student, according to a report in the Battle Creek Enquirer. <br /><br />Morehead did not return repeated calls and e-mails Wednesday after indicating through a text message she would answer questions via e-mail. <br /><br />Skean said the incident dissolved with Morehead receiving the “only verbal reprimand on her record” by her superintendent and if board members had asked he would have shared with them more information on the candidates.<br /><br />Brown said Ware had no reprimands in his personnel file and she believes he would be better at harvesting community relationships.<br /><br />“The people out there tonight have voiced their choice (in supporting Ware), now it’s time for us to listen,” Brown said before the board re-selected Morehead.<br /><br />Albion resident Joe Jackson said the board missed an opportunity to “right a wrong” by selecting Ware as its interim superintendent. Once the vote was taken in support of Morehead, a majority of the more than 60 people present groaned collectively and exited the boardroom.<br /><br />“Your community is not happy about who was elected as the temporary superintendent — I don’t know if you’ve discovered that or not,” Jackson said.<br /><br />Board member Al Pheley said he knows some people doubt Morehead but he’s heard a lot of positive feedback from people in the community “that it was a tough choice to make, but it was the right one for their situation.”<br /><br />She had a strong record of achieving Adequate Yearly Progress standards at W.K. Kellogg and has been described by former co-workers as a “change agent.”<br /><br />Board member Ruth Valdes, who supported Ware, said more than 40 years of teaching experience lead her to believe that Morehead has an uphill battle ahead of her.<br /><br />“From talking with teachers at the high school, while I can’t speak for them, I can say they would have voted for him…and they know he has a special gift with people — children as well as adults.” she said. “Dr. Morehead is walking into a situation where a lot of people are very heart broken and that cannot be denied.” <br />-----<br /><i>An update to the story published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/albion_school_board_withdraws.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 20, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-85703634737319641182011-07-19T07:33:00.000-07:002011-07-19T07:33:29.594-07:00Two Jackson County school districts pledge to explore merging services, possibly share superintendentsThe Michigan Center and Vandercook Lake school boards agreed Monday to work toward sharing services and employees — up to and possibly including the superintendent.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y4zruzmvrAI/TiWVgu3qZDI/AAAAAAAABfo/FER5M7p0mmI/s1600/Anthony+Hollow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y4zruzmvrAI/TiWVgu3qZDI/AAAAAAAABfo/FER5M7p0mmI/s200/Anthony+Hollow.JPG" width="150" /></a>They also left the door open for future collaboration with other districts.<br /><br />The agreement, which was unanimously approved at separate board meetings, formalizes discussions that have already been occurring. Further board approval would be needed to commit the districts to actually sharing any services.<br /><br />Both districts will maintain their identities, officials said. “Cardinals are still going to be Cardinals and Jayhawks are still going to be Jayhawks,” Vandercook Lake board President Delinda Woods said of the districts’ nicknames.<br /><br />School officials said sharing services can save money and provide more effective programs.<br /><br />Services that will be under consideration for sharing include transportation, maintenance, business office functions and state and federal reporting, said Michigan Center board President Gerald Holda and Vandercook Lake Superintendent Tony Hollow.<br /><br />Positions would be eliminated by not replacing retirees rather than by laying off employees, Hollow said.<br /><br />The two districts will lay the groundwork for collaboration of services during the 2011-12 school year. Holda said he expects to see fruits of the agreement soon.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ldfsB4QUBA/Tgs7kSDR73I/AAAAAAAABbY/spnZrofrUE0/s1600/Koziol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ldfsB4QUBA/Tgs7kSDR73I/AAAAAAAABbY/spnZrofrUE0/s200/Koziol.jpg" width="154" /></a><br />Hollow said the agreement with Michigan Center does not mean the two school districts will combine into one.<br /><br />“We’re creating a plan so that doesn’t happen,” Hollow said.<br /><br />State lawmakers have provided financial incentives for school districts to cooperate. The Jackson County Intermediate School District already has worked with districts to provide joint services in areas such as technology and accounting. Jonesville and Reading schools in Hillsdale County are among districts already sharing a superintendent.<br /><br />The agreement strongly corresponds with the Service Consolidation Plan portion of the “best practices” incentive approved by the Michigan Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder. Districts that meet four of five best practices identified by the state get an additional $100 per student in state aid.<br /><br />Michigan Center Superintendent Scott Koziol — who once worked under Hollow as an administrative assistant and curriculum director — said the agreement includes the possibility of one day sharing superintendent services because “we feel that it’s important to include every position that the districts have — we’re talking about teachers as well.”<br /><br />Hollow said he plans to stick around as Vandercook Lake superintendent at least through the end of a three-year contract extension recently approved by the board.<br /><br />“How fair is it of us to say, ‘Hey, we may share our custodial department, but don’t you dare think the superintendency is the ivory tower position that cannot be explored later on?’ ” Hollow said.<br /><br />Koziol said the agreement is worded to encourage future partnerships with other districts within the county because the boards wanted to leave “no stone unturned in providing students with the best education possible.”<br /><br />“We feel like it’s important to get the ball rolling with our two districts, but by no means is it exclusive of any of the other county school districts,” he said.<br /><br />East Jackson school officials publicly acknowledged they were open to exploring sharing superintendent services, but Koziol said the timing is purely coincidental.<br /><br />“This here started back in March and we felt like a July board meeting motion would set us up well in regards to the kind of the timeline Tony and I have moving forward,” Koziol said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with East Jackson, but East Jackson is a great district and if there are opportunities for collaborations or shared services with them, we’ve included that in the motion we passed.”<br /><br />East Jackson officials could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.<br /><br />Lyman Robertson, president of the Vandercook Lake Education Association that represents the district’s teachers, said he has no concerns about the shared services talks. He said he trusts that the deal won’t lead to layoffs.<br /><br />“I think it’s proactive that they’re looking to keep the costs down with the current economy and the situation at the state level,” Robertson said.<br /><br />Michigan Center has about 1,390 students and Vandercook Lake has about 1,300.<br /><br /><i>Citizen Patriot education reporter Bob Wheaton contributed to this report</i><br /><i>-----</i><br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/two_jackson_county_school_dist.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 19, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-77810577973074007182011-07-18T09:00:00.000-07:002011-07-19T09:09:07.172-07:00Two councilmen at the heart of divide in city of AlbionAs the Albion City Council tries to resurrect a municipality that is home to a shrinking school district and floundering downtown business district, there is a distinct divide down the middle of Eaton Street that continues to manifest itself at the heart of public debates.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dCtO-k031V8/TiWrdbu7GiI/AAAAAAAABgE/L6uU6xA1gKw/s1600/French.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dCtO-k031V8/TiWrdbu7GiI/AAAAAAAABgE/L6uU6xA1gKw/s200/French.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>On one side sits Councilman Andrew French of Precinct 6.<br /><br />The Albion College chemistry professor is usually calm and collected, but when helping allocate city funds he is terse and unafraid to fight for his vision of a rejuvenated downtown that includes new businesses and family fun for locals.<br /><br />He is a member of the board of directors for Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum in Albion and openly admits he is “trying to please as many people as possible” as a first-time councilman.<br /><br />Across from French sits Councilman Maurice Barnes Jr., a representative for residents of Precinct 1, who works part time at the Albion Inn and has an abundance of family members living in Albion.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BYkg_ptOm7s/TiWrhkqs6RI/AAAAAAAABgI/h5xhRupG8_o/s1600/Barnes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BYkg_ptOm7s/TiWrhkqs6RI/AAAAAAAABgI/h5xhRupG8_o/s200/Barnes.jpg" width="143" /></a>Barnes’ priorities include complete transparency from the city and 100 percent equality for all people, taxpayers and nontaxpayers alike.<br /><br />He has questioned spending city money on projects such as the restoration of the historic Bohm Theatre and represents those he feels are overlooked, including the nonprofit Double Vision Center on Superior Street.<br /><br />“Anytime I try to represent people who don’t have access to privilege and power, it’s almost like I’m the bad guy. I’m a black man; I know what it’s like to go without,” Barnes said at the June 6 council meeting. “We’ve got kids walking the street … and it’s almost like we just want to look over them every time, just like with the Bohm.”<br /><br />French admits Albion has significant sections of poverty, but he said it’s about more than race.<br /><br />“I think Albion as a city has this undercurrent of haves and have-nots, and councilman Barnes brings that up on a regular basis,” French said. “Clearly his constituents for the most part are African-American, and so he tries to make it a race issue, but I’m trying to make it a haves and have-nots (issue).”<br /><br />The basis of many of their heated arguments is not immaterial.<br /><br />The 2010 U.S. Census shows that Barnes’ precinct has a black population of 55 percent, while 90 percent of French’s constituents are white. Almost 18 percent of housing units in Precinct 1 are unoccupied, compared to 12 percent in Precinct 6.<br /><br />Such numbers fueled Barnes’ irritation when the council voted to put $8,000 of its Reader’s Digest We Hear You America prize money toward reclamation of the Bohm Theatre.<br /><br />He believes the city has more pressing needs to address.<br /><br />“You want to give all the money to the Bohm … be fair, people, you have people not with the socioeconomic status you have,” Barnes said June 6. “Not all of them have a mother and father in their home. They need extra help, and a couple of thousand dollars is not going to break your backs.”<br />French said he understands Barnes’ frustration, but he tries to maintain a delicate balance that accommodates people of varying socioeconomic status.<br /><br />He said it’s not easy trying to serve those who are paying taxes and those who are in rental units or subsidized housing and lack the same access to resources or power.<br /><br />“How do you meet their needs without always giving to them without them having to work for it?” he asked.<br /><br />Mayor Joe Domingo said there are pros and cons to the perpetual debate.<br /><br />“Sometimes I think it does interfere because some of those things I think could be taken care of on a personal level if they get that far,” he said. “But if it’s a topic that is brought up and those two have their different opinions, I’d like those opinions shared for everybody to hear so they know we don’t all think and feel the same way.”<br /><br />French showed good will toward Barnes at the June 20 council meeting when he proposed to gift the Double Vision Center $700 instead of $500 and reduce the Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum’s allotment from $500 to $300 when awarding the remaining $2,000 in prize money from Readers Digest.<br /><br />He said compromise is one way to prove he’s interested in the community as a whole, not just a particular section of it.<br /><br />Barnes said he’s willing to compromise when the vast majority of Albion residents disagree with him, but his primary mission will continue to be making life better for Precinct 1 residents.<br /><br />“All I want is for everybody to be treated fairly … and we have a council with different ideologies and different demographics and different upbringings and values,” he said.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/two_councilmen_at_the_heart_of.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 18, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-89291043129582572582011-07-13T06:08:00.000-07:002011-07-13T06:23:07.193-07:00Albion Public Schools selects one-year interim superintendent following impassioned debateAlbion Public Schools has chosen a candidate to become its one-year interim superintendent, turning down a homegrown product in the process.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nh14iEj769U/Th2b6YpYrpI/AAAAAAAABeo/m-KE1cI5OTs/s1600/Caldwell+Elementary+-+Caldwell+Elementary.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nh14iEj769U/Th2b6YpYrpI/AAAAAAAABeo/m-KE1cI5OTs/s320/Caldwell+Elementary+-+Caldwell+Elementary.png" width="320" /></a>Bobbi Morehead, former principal of W.K. Kellogg Middle School in Battle Creek, has been offered the job after a contentious 4-3 vote gave her an edge over Maurice Ware, the executive director of student support services for Battle Creek Public Schools.<br /><br />“When I saw the set of challenges presented at Albion I said, ‘This is what I love to do, this is where I like to be and I know I have the right skill set and passion to go into Albion Public Schools and together with the school board, teachers, and community, make the changes we need to make in a quick amount of time,’” said Morehead, 43.<br /><br />While many Albion residents showed strong support for Ware, an Albion High School graduate with administrative experience, through a letter-writing campaign and strong verbal affirmations, the board determined Morehead’s success with Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) scores addressed a more immediate need.<br /><br />“She has taken a school which is 600 students, two-thirds the size of our school system, and the school hadn’t made AYP for four years and when she took it over it made AYP for seven straight years,” said Board President Dan Skean, who added that Ware had the best interview of the three finalists. “If we don’t achieve AYP, no amount of marketing, no amount of feel-good community nature can save our high school.”<br /><br />The high school has failed to meet AYP for five consecutive years and the district was forced to submit a comprehensive redesign plan to the state earlier this year.<br /><br />Board member Shawnette Spicer, who voted for Ware, said Morehead and Ware were both good candidates, but Ware has shown a propensity for connecting with the community and he had the potential to get a diverse range of students enthused about school again.<br /><br />“You can have the smartest person in the world take this job — they might meet AYP all day — but if they can’t connect with the families, if they can’t connect with the children, if they can’t connect with the community and excite us about what we need to do, what’s the point?” she said. “We just spent about $80,000 on a specialist on curriculum (Coordinator of Differentiated Instruction), so why do we need a superintendent who’s an expert on that?”<br /><br />Former Albion teacher and board member Ruth Valdes, who voted for Ware, said curriculum is just a buzzword “for layers of other stuff.”<br /><br />“I think curriculum can be just a cover for what the problem really is,” she said. “The problem is very basic — it’s about relationships between teachers and students, students and each other, parents, teachers, administrators.”<br /><br />Board member Don Phillips said he believes Ware would be a good choice as a possible long-term solution for the district, but immediate success is required to curtail some of the low test scores and declining enrollment.<br /><br />“We have a plan we have sent to the state for three years that (brings in) $900,000 a year and we’re going to have to work that plan to have success,“ he said.<br /><br />Albion resident Temple Stovall, who has four children in the district, said the community was excited about someone like Ware being able to relate to their experiences.<br /><br />“I wanted to come to see if the citizens would get what they wanted,” she said. “I just hope it works for the community and for our school system because we let someone like Mr. Ware get away.”<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/albion_public_schools_selects.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 13, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-38391152901734397172011-07-13T05:45:00.000-07:002011-07-13T06:30:30.125-07:00Husband and wife grow together with their feet in the sand and hands in the air<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_JOePsHRI38/Th2dxVz_oOI/AAAAAAAABes/atw0KdlAmJk/s1600/Jerry+Guynn.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_JOePsHRI38/Th2dxVz_oOI/AAAAAAAABes/atw0KdlAmJk/s1600/Jerry+Guynn.png" /></a></div>An evening of “fun in the sun” for Jackson couple Jerry and Jackie Guynn usually consists of blaring whistles, sweaty palms full of sand and plenty of competitive fun-loving camaraderie that would never have been feasible seven years ago.<br /><br />But with patience, Jackie, a high school volleyball player at Hanover-Horton High School until 2000, taught her husband the tricks of a game he had never played. Nowadays, the duo spends much of their summer playing and refereeing volleyball in the 4-on-4 sand volleyball leagues at Hudson’s Classic Grill.<br /><br />One of the two co-ed squads they partner on lost in the semifinals of the spring session playoffs on Monday, but their other co-ed squad and Jackie’s women’s team are still in the hunt for titles. The spring session playoffs are this week, with the summer league session getting under way Sunday.<br /><br />On Tuesday, the couple stood roughly 50 feet apart, donning sunglasses and shorts, as they refereed contests in other divisions.<br /><br />“We pretty much just know that when May gets here this is where our life goes for summer,” Jackie said. “It’s just something we’ve come to look forward to … we get to get outside, we get to get some fresh air and it’s like you’re in a whole different place.”<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ldaeEmoD_I/Th2d11ggf5I/AAAAAAAABew/ZZ7H4mG4O-s/s1600/Jackie+Guynn.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ldaeEmoD_I/Th2d11ggf5I/AAAAAAAABew/ZZ7H4mG4O-s/s320/Jackie+Guynn.png" width="320" /></a>They are also looking forward to the nine-week summer session of leagues Sundays through Thursdays — with a new men’s “king of the beach” league on Fridays — under the guidance of volleyball coordinator Bill Barone.<br /><br />Barone said a league-record 105 teams participated in the spring and people like the Guynns are a big reason why he’s been passionate about the league since its inception in 2000.<br /><br />“This is one sport people can intermingle together, men and women, and make it good,” he said. “It’s what it’s all about out there. They’ve developed their relationship a lot out here.”<br /><br />For Jerry and Jackie, there were several obstacles to clear in learning they could enjoy the sport together.<br /><br />For one, Jackie grew up playing the sport and Jerry was a football and basketball player.<br /><br />After watching Jackie every week during their first year of marriage, Jerry decided he wanted in on the fun.<br /><br />“I was a little hesitant at first because it’s a little intimidating — I had never played volleyball, for one, and honestly it’s a lot harder than it looks,” he said. “After a couple of years of pain you catch on, and watching other players play helps a lot. Once you get it down, it’s a lot of fun.”<br /><br />He said getting the timing down has been the most difficult part, but the Hudson’s leagues have been perfect because he’s been able to work his way up through divisions of increasing skill levels.<br /><br />“At first it was a little tough (when we played co-ed) together because I’m really competitive,” Jackie said.<br /><br />But Jerry said his wife tutored him on the finer points of “setting, passing and hitting” in the backyard during the “painful early years” of his development and he encourages others to stick with the sport if they are getting up to speed.<br /><br />“It’s really cool to see people grow over a couple years, and I’ve had people come up to me and say,‘You’ve gotten a lot better,’” he said.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/sports/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/husband_and_wife_spend_much_of.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 13, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-56690926039667701672011-07-12T06:31:00.000-07:002011-07-13T06:33:55.425-07:00Michigan Center Schools not planning to lay off any full-time teachers but board does approve eliminating four positions<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ldfsB4QUBA/Tgs7kSDR73I/AAAAAAAABbY/spnZrofrUE0/s1600/Koziol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ldfsB4QUBA/Tgs7kSDR73I/AAAAAAAABbY/spnZrofrUE0/s200/Koziol.jpg" width="154" /></a><b>THE ISSUE:</b> Michigan Center Public Schools is not planning to lay off any full-time teachers for the 2011-12 school year, but several paraprofessionals and a custodian are losing their jobs. The district will also no longer offer transportation to weekend events to help trim the budget.<br /><br /><b>WHAT HAPPENED MONDAY:</b> The school board approved the reduction of three paraprofessional positions and one custodian position, while acknowledging another custodian could possibly be laid off before the beginning of the school year. Superintendent Scott Koziol said there could be additional minimal staffing reductions announced at the August board meeting. The board also approved eliminating district-funded transportation to athletic events and other activities on weekends. Koziol said district leadership believed the cuts would have less of an impact on parents and extracurricular programs than cutting transportation during the week or having “one-way drop-offs.”<br /><br /><b>THE VOTE:</b> 6-0.<br /><br /><b>THE QUOTE:</b> “None of these cuts are easy, but we feel we’ve been very responsible the last several years as a board and a district.” — Superintendent Scott Koziol<br /><br /><b>WHAT IT WILL COST:</b> Koziol said the reductions would save the district roughly $700,000 and they were figured into the $10.8 million budget passed June 28.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/michigan_center_schools_not_pl.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 12, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-43565142251551142862011-07-07T12:08:00.000-07:002011-07-07T12:11:13.887-07:00Albion City Council approves creation of unofficial city dog parkTHE ISSUE: Albion City Council approved the creation of an unofficial city dog park on a portion of the city-owned property of the old Union Steel complex on Berrien Street.<br /><br />WHAT HAPPENED TUESDAY: Council agreed to the installation of necessary components for a dog park to be implemented on the northern part of property that has been used for recreational purposes the last several years. People have already been using the property to walk their dogs, but it was technically not allowed under city ordinances. City Manager Mike Herman said council will determine suggested rules of operation for the dog park in the near future, but it will not be deemed an “official city park” so changes can be more easily made.<br /><br />THE VOTE: 6-0.<br /><br />THE QUOTE: “It was a matter of when we got complaints were we going to take up enforcement, and (Director of Public Services) Kevin Markovich said, ‘Well, it’s being used a lot, maybe we should create a dog park.’ ” — City Manager Mike Herman<br /><br />WHAT IT WILL COST: Herman said it would cost roughly $2,000 for the city to install a 275-foot fence that will separate the dog park from the rest of the property. He said the city would presumably also install waste receptacles.<br />-----<br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>As published in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/albion_city_council_approves_c.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 7, 2011</a></i></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2PcSj8TFzqA/ThYD8X0PkiI/AAAAAAAABbw/4VnXnk34ewg/s1600/Dog+Park+Map.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2PcSj8TFzqA/ThYD8X0PkiI/AAAAAAAABbw/4VnXnk34ewg/s640/Dog+Park+Map.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The unofficial dog park in Albion will be located at the old Union Steel site, on N. Berrien St. / Google Maps</b></td></tr></tbody></table>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-37052350272834306702011-07-05T11:52:00.000-07:002011-07-07T12:03:05.949-07:00Jackson County newcomer starts next chapter of his life in All-American fashion at Firecracker RunAlex Ralston’s first weekend as a Jackson County resident was the perfect all-American anecdote for the Fourth of July holiday.<br /><br />On Friday, the 2011 Hillsdale College graduate relocated to Jackson for a job with Alro Steel.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2By6wzcZhCA/ThYCma5xovI/AAAAAAAABbs/SIEeWx8ZtPs/s1600/scooter+mcweeny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2By6wzcZhCA/ThYCma5xovI/AAAAAAAABbs/SIEeWx8ZtPs/s320/scooter+mcweeny.jpg" width="304" /></a></div>On Monday, he used a swift dash to the finish to capture $100 in prize money and a homemade pie with a first place finish in the annual 5-mile Firecracker Run /Walk in Hanover.<br /><br />“I was looking for a race that could keep shoes on my feet — gotta keep that prize money flowing,” Ralston said with a grin. “Either new shoes or going to the bar.”<br /><br />Passing runner-up Kyle Mena on the final straightaway, Ralston crossed the finish line on the revamped Firecracker course that was a time warp back to the 1970s.<br /><br />This marked the first time in more than three decades that the event wasn’t a point-to-point race from the Horton Fire Station to the Hanover Fire Station. Instead it was a circular route that began and ended at the Hanover station, almost identical to the course used by runners more than a generation ago.<br /><br />“It was challenging, very hilly,” Ralston said. “Kyle annihilated me, but then I was like, ‘It’s 100 bucks’, those last 100 yards.”<br /><br />Mena, a 2009 Eastern Michigan University graduate who ran for the Eagles, said he thought he had a good chance to hold off Ralston, but fatigue got the best of him.<br /><br />“Those hills in the last mile took it out of me — I pushed pretty hard up them and it just got me at the end,” he said.<br /><br />Lauren Quaintance, 21, won the women's 5k in 30 minutes, 7.8 seconds.<br /><br />Meegan Freeland, a 2009 Western High School graduate who runs for Michigan State University, finished second in 30:34.1.<br /><br />Freeland was a past winner of the event but was forced to sit out last year’s run because of an injury.<br /><br />“I think I had control of the race the whole time until the last half mile when I slowed a bit,” she said. “It was different than running from town to town and the last mile was a little more difficult.”<br /><br />Race director Jeff Heath said he decided to change the course from its traditional route to the retro loop because it made sense for the long-term health of the race.<br /><br />“Every 10 years you need your course re-certified, and with all the budget cuts with the school, I couldn’t expect free buses forever, so I decided it would be better to change it on my own terms instead of them at their June meeting saying I don’t have buses,” he said.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/sports/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/race_goes_retro_revamped_firec.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 5, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-55945214696785038192011-06-29T07:54:00.000-07:002011-06-29T07:54:37.667-07:00Albion School Board approves stripped-down budget; district still would be $700,000 in the red next yearCuts to athletics and transportation are inescapable for Albion Public Schools after the school board passed a budget for the 2011-12 school year tonight that will run a deficit.<br /><br />Even with proposed cuts that essentially trim the athletic department budget in half and reduce transportation costs by $250,000, the district will fall almost $1.2 million short of expected expenditures. That would leave the district with a negative fund balance projected at greater than $700,000 by next July.<br /><br />“We can come very close to balancing a budget if we eliminate all transportation, if we eliminate all athletics, if we eliminate all non-Michigan Merit course activities. said school board President Dan Skean. “But I still don’t think we’re going to strike a balanced budget,”<br /><br />“Any stakeholder should have a great concern because this says a lot about the financial health of our district.”<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gWKDXtRVj4s/TcrJW7xRSiI/AAAAAAAABSU/IWIlaG16gr0/s1600/Washington+Gardner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gWKDXtRVj4s/TcrJW7xRSiI/AAAAAAAABSU/IWIlaG16gr0/s320/Washington+Gardner.jpg" width="320" /></a>The approved budget does not take into account potential savings the district could realize from a new teachers contract that is still being negotiated. <br /><br />Accounting supervisor John Waugh said the “heavy lifting” has only begun in balancing a budget that is trying to account for a $1.1 million decline in state funding compared to the 2010-11 school year.<br /><br />The school board, with the help of the incoming interim superintendent, will help Waugh submit a deficit elimination plan to the state later this year.<br /><br />The approved budget includes shrinking the athletics budget from $227,000 to $111,000.<br /><br />Athletic Director Brad Shedd said he’s not sure how gate receipts or his salary (which is partially funded by the general fund) figure into those numbers, but cuts are unavoidable.<br /><br />“At this moment right now, just having these numbers presented to me, I don’t see how it will work without some cuts of something,” he said. “Start with like any freshmen programs we have, like freshmen boys basketball, and start working your way through things and see how the numbers look.“<br /><br />Skean said the board would not “micromanage” the athletics departments by deciding what programs should be cut, but the district’s “qualified professionals” will be forced to operate under the new budget constraints.<br /><br />Waugh said the district is working with Dean Transportation to determine the most feasible way to cut $250,000 from that division of expenditures.<br /><br />“We’ve looked at other options like eliminating all regular education transportation. We’ve looked at transportation just outside of Albion’s city limits. We’ve looked at running buses for the months November through March,” Skean said.<br /><br />“These are scary things to families to have to consider, but more and more school districts are considering them.”<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/06/albion_school_board_approves_s_1.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 29, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-27235603169559868942011-06-29T07:50:00.000-07:002011-06-29T07:50:20.325-07:00Michigan Center Schools pass budget with help from rainy-day fund and minimal cuts coming in July<b>THE ISSUE:</b> A $10.8 million budget for the 2011-12 school year, which included instructional cuts to be announced in July.<br /><b><br /></b><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ldfsB4QUBA/Tgs7kSDR73I/AAAAAAAABbY/spnZrofrUE0/s1600/Koziol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ldfsB4QUBA/Tgs7kSDR73I/AAAAAAAABbY/spnZrofrUE0/s200/Koziol.jpg" width="154" /></a><b>WHAT HAPPENED MONDAY:</b> The board approved a budget that is roughly $1 million below final expenditures for the 2010-11 school year. The 2011-12 budget currently has an estimated deficit of $927,761 — with expenditures estimated at more than $11.7 million. The district’s fund balance is expected to be reduced from $3.4 million to $2.5 million by July 2012.<br /><br /><b>THE VOTE:</b> 6-0.<br /><br /><b>THE QUOTE: </b>“There will be instructional cuts made and positions terminated within the district, but no student programming will be cut. The teachers and administrative staff have worked hard to make that possible and (Business Manager) Judy Johnson has really helped carry out a vision for this district.” — Michigan Center Superintendent Scott Koziol<br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>WHAT IT WILL COST: </b>Administrators and teachers have altered their health insurance plans. As of July 1 the district’s administrative staff and secretaries will be enrolled in Priority Health plans that will save the district roughly $65,000 next year. In January teachers agreed to raise their co-pays from 1 percent to 1.25 percent and their deductibles from $100 per individual or $200 per family to $200 and $400.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the<a href="http://www.mlive.com/jackson"> Jackson Citizen Patriot</a> on June 29, 2011</i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-3023839595579682652011-06-27T21:29:00.001-07:002011-06-27T21:33:03.678-07:00Albion City Council goes deep into the night for recent meetings, and no one's happy about it<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OTtBfc7ALXc/TglZX-zPTEI/AAAAAAAABa4/s106otBYYQE/s1600/egg-timer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OTtBfc7ALXc/TglZX-zPTEI/AAAAAAAABa4/s106otBYYQE/s320/egg-timer.jpg" width="320" /></a>More and more people are walking out of Albion City Council meetings before they adjourn, but it’s not because they don’t care about their city.<br /><br />It’s probably because it’s past their bedtime. <br /><br />With the last three council meetings running an average of 3 hours, 32 minutes one councilmember is openly questioning how meetings can be streamlined and some residents are growing restless with agendas that have included as many as 19 items in recent months.<br /><br />“Some of the meetings have been running so late that by the time we get up there I feel like you guys are ready to get out of here and all that happens is we make statements and no one gives any answers or feedback,” said Albion resident Don Cornell during citizen’s comment at 10:45 p.m. on Monday. <br /><br />Councilman Garrett Brown said Cornell’s gripe mirrors what he’s been hearing from some of his constituents in Precinct 3. <br /><br />“In the past I think meetings were done pretty quickly — people showed up, the council voted ‘yes’, ‘yes’, ‘yes’ and you were pretty much done,” he said. “Now there is a little bit more deliberation on issues that in the past might not have been as thoroughly examined.”<br /><br />While Brown is seeking input from City Manager Mike Herman on ways to speed meetings up he has thrown out two of his own ideas for people to chew on. <br /><br />He said the city could look into purchasing some sort of timing devices to more effectively limit citizen’s comment and the city could provide council members with their meeting packets earlier than the Thursday prior to Monday meetings. <br /><br />Brown said it would be ideal to receive the packets — which contain information and city recommendations on agenda items — a week before a meeting at the latest.<br /><br />He said that would give council members ample time to ask questions and query experts on crucial resolutions, in turn cutting down the digressions from council members to clarify and analyze relatively unexplored issues.<br /><br />Herman said sending out packets a week early would “make his life a lot easier” but would inevitably cause for last-minute agenda amendments that council members would still feel ill informed on.<br /><br />“I have the ability under the charter to adjust the agenda up to noon on the day of the meeting, but the question isn’t so much about amending the agenda as it is (about) getting stuff out if it’s something they really need to look at ahead of time,” he said. “I don’t know that them getting their packets sooner is going to make the discussion any shorter.”<br /><br />Brown said in the case of emergencies he would be fine with council amending the agenda last minute, even if it meant exhaustive discussions that might dissuade the public.<br /><br />Herman said the city could also look into a “green light, yellow light, red light” timing device Brown said he has seen on C-SPAN, but it could only be used to confirm that citizen’s comments do not exceed the allotted five minutes. <br /><br />“I don’t know if we need something that sophisticated or if it’s just a matter of the mayor paying attention to the time,” he said. <br />-----<br /><i>Published in the<a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/06/albion_city_council_goes_deep.html"> Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 27, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-13043296729898822602011-06-27T17:18:00.000-07:002011-06-27T21:28:44.426-07:00Triathlons gaining momentum with athletes and everyday people in Jackson CountyIt wouldn’t be out of order to call triathlons “try-athlons” given how many newcomers have given the sport a shot since the running, swimming and biking competition earned mainstream status as an Olympic sport in 2000.<br /><br />Women dive into Clark Lake during the Clark Lake Triathlon. Triathlon officials are noticing a growing interest in the sport.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vrzOMbbLasc/TglW3-0Pj6I/AAAAAAAABa0/yqFOPk_6XiI/s1600/Triathlon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vrzOMbbLasc/TglW3-0Pj6I/AAAAAAAABa0/yqFOPk_6XiI/s400/Triathlon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>USA Triathlon, the sport’s national governing body, has exploded to almost 140,000 members nationwide — seven times the average membership in the mid-90s. <br /><br />There’s something contagious about the fervent competition and varied conditioning of triathlons that has caused the sport to spread like wildfire across the country — and Jackson County is no exception.<br /><br />Last year, there were 29 USA Triathlon-sanctioned events scheduled in Michigan from May through August, including the Clark Lake and Waterloo triathlons, as well as a trio of events in Grass Lake. <br /><br />One reason the sport has surged in popularity locally, according to personal trainer Jeff Beagle — who has participated in nine Ironman triathlons across the globe during more than 25 years of competing — is because events have become shorter and more accessible. <br /><br />The 50-year-old Hanover resident says he has had clients who couldn’t run a mile when he first started working with them, but by identifying their strengths and building stamina, many of them have completed sprint triathlons. Most local and regional events are classified as sprint triathlons, which involve almost a half-mile swim, 12-mile biking portion and 5K run — approximately half of the standard Olympic distances. <br /><br />“More and more people are taking it up; more and more people don’t see it as something they can’t do,” Beagle says. <br /><br />Beagle stumbled across the sport in the mid-80s when he picked up a copy of Triathlete Magazine and decided to see what it was about because he was dealing with recurring running injuries in his pursuit of running long-distance events.<br /><br />The sport was obscure back then, he says, with the Clark Lake Triathlon attracting 200-250 competitors, compared to the more than 600 who now register annually.<br /><br />Jim Donaldson, a triathlete from Sylvania, Ohio, has managed the Clark Lake Triathlon and Duathlon (running and biking only) through Elite Endeavors, LLC, for more than a decade, and he has been involved in the governing body of the sport for almost 30 years.<br /><br />The sport’s popularity skyrocketed when it became an Olympic sport because “people finally realized that not every event was like the Ironman competitions and it wasn’t just for elite athletes,” he says.<br /><br />Donaldson has remained competitive for so long in part because of the sustained health benefits he has experienced from being a triathlete.<br /><br />“It’s a great sport for physical fitness because you’re doing three different things,” he says. “You don’t have to do the same thing day after day after day, and I think most people enjoy a little biking and swimming already anyway.”<br /><br />He became involved in hosting endurance events with his wife Joyce because they saw the sport’s potential to expand and wanted to be part of the triathlon community.<br /><br />“The Clark Lake Triathlon is kind of a community, family-type of triathlon with lots of local residents coming out to watch and cheer the athletes on, with the bike course out by the cottages,” he says. “It’s a nice lake, lots of people there, and a good starting and ending place.”<br /><br />Elite Endeavors also hosts the Waterloo Triathlon and Duathlon, another area race with a longstanding tradition.<br /><br />“The Waterloo one is one of the best-kept secrets in the state of Michigan — that state park is just beautiful,” Donaldson says.<br /><br />Ann Arbor resident Karen McKeachie is also in the business of hosting events, with Epic Races, LLC. Epic Races puts on several female-only triathlons in Grass Lake, as well as the grueling 42-mile Battle of Waterloo survival event. <br /><br />The variety of trails and abundance of lakes makes lower Michigan a prime location for triathlons, she says, but the sport is still somewhat restricted to a distinct demographic because of the costs of equipment and accessories.<br /><br />“The bikes have changed and the wetsuits and all the technical parts of the equipment have changed the most since I started all those years ago,” she says, noting entry fees also have doubled and tripled.<br /><br />Regardless of cost and a competitor’s age, Beagle believes that triathlons are a tough bug to kick once somebody commits to the sport.<br /><br />“It’s all about setting goals and going after them … when somebody asks me why I’m biking 100 miles three weekends out of a month, they don’t wonder why,” he says. “It justifies my whole world.” <br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/living/jackson/index.ssf/2011/06/athletes_everyday_people_givin.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 27, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-25859406487208474432011-06-26T15:15:00.000-07:002011-06-26T15:18:18.091-07:00Kyle Stacks wins Concord Classic 5k; Lindsey Burdette wins second straight race<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although he was donning Central Michigan University shorts Kyle Stacks was right at home Saturday, winning the Concord Classic 5k on a course he’s been running since third-grade.</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FCJjKxD-qm0/Tgev03vtBwI/AAAAAAAABaw/ZfQqon9rJt0/s1600/Kyle+Stacks+mug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FCJjKxD-qm0/Tgev03vtBwI/AAAAAAAABaw/ZfQqon9rJt0/s1600/Kyle+Stacks+mug.jpg" /></a><br />With familiar faces cheering him on, the 2010 Concord High School graduate ran the fastest road race of his life — 15 minutes, 27 seconds — 18 seconds ahead of runner-up Brendan Martin.<br /><br />“It feels pretty good, it’s kind of like a homecoming for me since I haven’t raced anywhere close to home for a while,” said Stacks who ran for CMU as a freshman during the 2010-11 season.&nbsp;“I’ve never won it and I was hoping I could come and do it.”<br /><br />Stack was part of Concord state championship teams in cross county in 2009 and track and field in 2010.<br /><br />He said because he had run the course so many times he knew where to kick it into high gear, right around the two-mile marker where he distanced himself from the pack.<br /><br />Stacks’ high school coach and race director David Jordon thought the course record of 14:49 might be in jeopardy with the ideal conditions Saturday, but Stacks said that might be a task for another year.<br /><br />“I think someone like me or Josh McAlary from Lumen Christi (who now runs for Michigan State University) could definitely do that, but I think I need someone pushing me, like in front of me, in order to do that,” he said.<br /><br />Martin, a sophomore at Jackson Community College, was pleased that he cut 40 seconds off his time from the 2010 Concord Classic.<br /><br />“I had no idea what I could run today,” he said. “I figured it would be between me and Kyle and I wasn’t sure what he was capable of, but he got me that last mile.”<br /><br />In the women’s 5k run Lindsey Burdette of Hanover-Horton won her second straight Citizen Patriot Run/Walk Series race by finishing in a time of 18 minutes, 46 seconds.<br /><br />She had a healthy lead over runner-up Cayla Nousain of Concord (19:00) throughout the race.<br />Burdette said a win was “nice” but she entered mainly to figure out where she was at the beginning of a&nbsp;long summer of training.<br /><br />She runs 50-65 miles a week and is currently focused more on pacing than trying to set personal records.<br /><br />She said running with a field of fast young guys did provide a little motivation though.<br /><br />“If I see some guys ahead of me I try to stay up with them and just pace off of them,” she said.<br /><br />David Swarts of Jackson repeated as the winner of the men’s 5k walk with a time of 25 minutes, 31 seconds and Janet Scott of Horton was victorious in the women’s walk with a time of 33 minutes, 59 seconds.<br /><br />For complete results click<a href="http://www.runmichigan.com/results/full.php/2011/06/25/2011-concord-classic.html"> here</a>.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/sports/jackson/index.ssf/2011/06/kyle_stacks_wins_concord_class.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 26, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-89059414614665675402011-06-25T15:04:00.000-07:002011-06-26T15:04:43.666-07:00Albion's closed Bohm Theatre to receive $250,000 grant to restore facade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DTPLxeh4kLA/TgesiTdNQtI/AAAAAAAABak/byc8dgax0sY/s1600/Bohm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DTPLxeh4kLA/TgesiTdNQtI/AAAAAAAABak/byc8dgax0sY/s400/Bohm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A $250,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. is offering fresh hope that Albion’s Bohm Theatre can be restored to its once-proud glory.<br /><br />The grant, which requires an $80,000 match from the nonprofit organization Friends of the Bohm&nbsp;Theatre, is earmarked for facade renovations.<br /><br />The Albion Downtown Development Authority announced the grant this week.<br /><br />“The grant will not cover roof work, which is another priority to be repaired/replaced, but we can pay for that work to be done out of our matching funds,” said Nidia Wolf, the DDA’s executive director and co-chair of Friends of the Bohm. “The facade also includes the windows, doors and marquee on the front of the building, as well as egress doors on all sides of the building.”<br /><br />Wolf said she expects construction to begin on the building, 201 S. Superior St., shortly so the project can be completed “before the snow flies.”<br /><br />Wolf said community support to re-open a building that closed in 2008 appears to be getting stronger.<br />More than $65,000 in matching funds has been collected from various grants. Another $8,000 in prize money came from the Reader’s Digest We Hear You America Sweepstakes.<br /><br />“I'm constantly astonished at the number of people who come up to me and tell me they want to donate in a major way,” she said. “We're being judicious as we know we'll need more later for the interior restoration, but I feel we're doing quite well so far.”<br /><br />The Friends of the Bohm will have sole ownership of the 82-year-old theater once its purchase from the Calhoun County Land Bank is completed.<br /><br />Future renovation projects include mechanical work, plumbing and electrical upgrades, and reconstruction of the interior floor plan, Wolf said.<br /><br />The Friends of the Bohm Theatre hopes the theater can showcase first-run movies by sometime in 2013. <br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/06/albions_closed_bohm_theatre_to.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 25, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-20385639706205607382011-06-24T23:52:00.000-07:002011-06-26T14:59:58.774-07:00Families bond at Grandparents College at Albion CollegeIn the midst of sharing stories about his experience as an Albion College student more than 40 years ago, David Keefer had the opportunity this week to get a glimpse of what his grandson's future on a college campus might look like.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tvS5ull2oLU/TgerofIvCVI/AAAAAAAABag/2NZiFC6XvgM/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-26+at+5.45.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tvS5ull2oLU/TgerofIvCVI/AAAAAAAABag/2NZiFC6XvgM/s320/Screen+shot+2011-06-26+at+5.45.17+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>Building a bat house with his 11-year-old grandson, Garrett Snyder, the 70-year-old Class of 1963 graduate tightly gripped a large screw to help make the youngster’s first experience with power tools a successful one.<br /><br />Those kinds of camaraderie-building moments were frequent at the second annual Grandparents College.<br /><br />The three-day gathering focused on hands-on activities for 51 participants ages 8 to 80.<br />Running makeshift lemonade stands or learning the basics of cheerleading, family members were making memories while developing new friendships.<br /><br />“We had a ‘get to know you’ activity right away, and everybody kind of made friends,” said event coordinator Mark Baczewski, the college’s director of alumni engagement. “Now they all want to sit by each other, and they’re exchanging emails and addresses, and it is just great.”<br /><br />Albion resident Joyce Spicer — who did not attend Albion College but is active in the community — said the program allowed her to connect on more personal levels with grandchildren Cydny and Jayden Williams of Canton.<br /><br />“I’ve enjoyed it all. But I don’t dance, and we had a hoedown (Wednesday) night, and my goodness we had a super, super ball,” she said. “And today I got to record (a song), ‘Grandparents Rock.’ We wrote our own songs and were doing a little doo-wop.”<br /><br />Cydny Williams said her grandmother did an admirable job singing, but she was also fired up about a performance of her own.<br /><br />In the class “Lights, Camera, Makeup!” a woman who has worked as a professional background makeup producer quickly transformed Williams into a terrifying vampire.<br /><br />“There was this syrup — it was chocolate syrup, red food dye and corn syrup — and they mixed it and put it as blood on my face, and it was really good,” she said, with Spicer laughing in the background.<br /><br />For Albion resident Vicki Konkle and granddaughter Kailey Konkle, the inaugural Grandparents College last year was so satisfying that they came back for more.<br /><br />“It’s really cool to just be one on one in the dorm at night, a sleepover sort of thing,” said Vicki Konkle, who admitted it was a little past her bedtime when she finally turned out the lights at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.<br /><br />Kailey Konkle said she loved the variety of classes, especially a course where she got to make pottery.<br />Vicki Konkle said Grandparents College is more than just something fun to put on the schedule.<br /><br />“Last year when we left she said, ‘Grandma, I never thought about going to a small college before,’ because face it, small colleges aren’t promoted as much,” she said. “It gave her a different view of a college.”<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the<a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/06/more_than_50_take_part_in_gran.html"> Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 24, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-37447335593035232962011-06-21T15:45:00.000-07:002011-06-21T15:45:32.977-07:00City of Albion passes no-idling policy for vehicles city owns, rents or leasesThe city of Albion is no longer standing idle on city vehicles blowing unnecessary dollars out of their exhaust pipes.<br /><br />On Monday, city council unanimously passed a no-idling policy for its fleet in an effort to preserve the environment and possibly put some money back into the city’s budget.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzfhkOvWel4/TgEfAuO44mI/AAAAAAAABaU/J0EMIXBVgQo/s1600/No+Idling.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzfhkOvWel4/TgEfAuO44mI/AAAAAAAABaU/J0EMIXBVgQo/s1600/No+Idling.png" /></a></div>The policy states that drivers of vehicles owned, rented or leased by the city shall turn off vehicle engines when it is anticipated they will be stopped for more than 60 seconds, except when in traffic.<br /><br />Exceptions to the rule include extreme weather conditions, when lift equipment is being used or other equipment is necessary to accommodate individuals with disabilities and when emergency situations arise.<br /><br />“The (Energy and Sustainability) Committee feels it’s the first step in trying to improve the city of Albion’s air quality as well as to help save gallons of gas,” said Councilman Andrew French. “Now cost savings — it’s up in the air with gasoline and diesel fuel prices increasing continuously — we may not see a savings of dollars, but from an environmental point of view, gallons are just as great.”<br /><br />In 2010, the city used more than 43,600 gallons of gas in its vehicles, totaling more than $101,000. That is nearly double the cost from 2000 when the city used more than 52,000 gallons of fuel at the cost of roughly $55,000.<br /><br />French said council will assess the number of gallons of fuel the city uses during the next six months to determine tangible energy reductions.<br /><br />Chief of Public Safety Eric Miller and Director of Public Services Kevin Markovich helped draft the policy, but enforcement of it will be a personal responsibility of city employees.<br /><br />“It’s pretty much self policing, you’ve got to be the person to realize you’re just sitting there idling,” Mayor Joe Domingo said. “It’s not like somebody’s going to be there writing you a ticket for idling your vehicle.”<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/06/city_of_albion_passes_no-idlin.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 21, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-13207040570840751442011-06-16T09:44:00.000-07:002011-06-16T09:44:10.947-07:00Officials say cuts are coming, but Jackson Community College's flight school will not be grounded<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zIBWxGHOUe0/Tfoy0Tlp1TI/AAAAAAAABaM/TERNhwGgN5I/s1600/JCC+Flight+School.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zIBWxGHOUe0/Tfoy0Tlp1TI/AAAAAAAABaM/TERNhwGgN5I/s320/JCC+Flight+School.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jackson Community College’s fight school at the Jackson County Airport will see reductions, but officials say the program is not being grounded.<br /><br />JCC President Dan Phelan said this week that school officials will cut the flight program’s budget by reducing staff.<br /><br />The flight school spent $35,000 more on operations than it took in for the 2010-11 school year, according to Thomas Vainner, vice president of administrative operations at JCC. <br /><br />“We’ll evaluate based on the number of students that are enrolled and ultimately the number of hours they are flying,” Phelan said.<br /><br />The flight school has 30 to 40 students, down from 138 in 2003-04 and 92 in 2007-08.<br /><br />Phelan said he believes there’s “an efficiency that can be realized” by cutting maintenance expenses. As enrollment has declined, there are fewer flight hours on the school-owned aircraft.<br /><br />Mike Bartholomew, a full-time aviation mechanic at the school, said he has always been proud of the college’s commitment to aviation excellence, but senses JCC’s devotion is waning.<br /><br />“This commitment must be wearing thin when flight center positions are (possibly) being eliminated,” he said. “One can only hope this current board and administration will not be remembered for the inevitable closure of this important historic program.”<br /><br />Jeff Fisher, the flight school’s director of aviation technology, said contracting someone part-time to perform maintenance on the school’s five aircraft would compromise the safety of airplanes and students because often Bartholomew spends “eight hours in one day doing maintenance.”<br /><br />“A lot of these airports (students fly into) don’t have mechanics at them, so we’re compromising safety.&nbsp;We are compromising for our students,” he said.<br /><br />Phelan vowed that “quality and maintenance will not be compromised” as the college makes cuts in the next several months.<br /><br />It’s not the first-time the flight school’s future has been cloudy. In 2005, a $200,000 gift from the Weatherwax Foundation ensured the school would stay afloat.<br /><br />Without the flight school, the airport could encounter troubles of its own. The airport’s tower receives money based on the number of flights.<br /><br />“It helps keep the number of landings and takeoffs at optimal levels because that all relates to funding for our air traffic control tower and indirectly for the priority we get for bigger projects,” said Airport Manager Kent Maurer, who noted he does not get involved with JCC’s administrative decisions.<br /><br />In 2010 more than $500,000 in county funds were spent on airport operations. Maurer said that number would have to increase if federal funding declined.<br /><br />Maurer said the airport would “be much less safe” if it were to ever lose its air traffic control tower, because of low visibility on the runways due to building obstructions and terrain. <br /><br />He said another less-direct impact is that business people might then land at other airports due to safety concerns, further decreasing the airport’s traffic.<br /><br />Phelan said he has had preliminary conversations with Lansing Community College about developing a relationship with students from its aviation flight program, which ended in May. He also said he is looking for grant money to keep JCC’s flight school viable.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/06/officials_say_cuts_are_coming.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 16, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-36874315781486073952011-06-16T03:32:00.000-07:002011-06-18T19:42:44.809-07:00Albion School District gets donation, 'sizable contribution' to help it hire full-time nurseFacing the possibility of limited or no health care in its schools most of next year, the Albion School Board received a timely donation from a local health-care organization this week.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MjtzogM-DcY/Tf1h96U3CUI/AAAAAAAABaQ/socNAi1TCuw/s1600/school+nurse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MjtzogM-DcY/Tf1h96U3CUI/AAAAAAAABaQ/socNAi1TCuw/s320/school+nurse.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>Thanks to a gift of $12,500 from the Albion Health Care Alliance and $5,000 the board agreed to put forth from its general fund, the district might be able to support a full-time nurse next year.<br /><br />The district is facing the closure of the Wildcat Wellness Center at the high school Oct. 1 due to the denial of state grant money from the Michigan Department of Community Health.<br /><br />The board considered hiring a part-time nurse for $12,500 through a new school nursing program run by the Calhoun County Health Department when Joyce Spicer, executive director of the Alliance, shook things up Monday night.<br /><br />“Education is important, but the kids can’t learn if they’re not healthy,” Spicer said.<br /><br />Spicer offered the board $12,500 from the alliance in the hopes that the district would supplement the rest of its share of $25,000 for a full-time nurse.<br /><br />Through the program, the district would pay 40 percent of the $62,500 that will be needed for salary and supply costs, while the other 60 percent would be funded from grants from Calhoun County Health&nbsp;Department partners such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.<br /><br />Board president Dan Skean said he would make appeals to the community and local nonprofits to help subsidize the remaining $7,500 needed for a full-time nurse.<br /><br />Albion Health Care Alliance President Linda Armstrong said that process had already begun at Monday’s meeting, when “someone in the audience came forward with a sizable contribution.”<br /><br />Rutherford said the nurse would be “extremely mobile and portable compared to what you might have had in the past” and the district can decide where the nurse should be placed.<br /><br />The nurse will provide basic and emergency care services, administer medication when necessary and will be available to speak in classrooms about issues such as pregnancy, diabetes, obesity and bullying.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/06/albion_school_district_gets_do.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 16, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-37420809193549599362011-06-15T08:38:00.000-07:002011-06-16T08:38:46.699-07:00Two candidates withdraw from Albion interim superintendent searchThe search for an interim superintendent in Albion is thinning out but will take a few weeks longer than planned.<br /><br />On Monday, school board President Dan Skean announced Paula Steele and Daniel Heckman had removed themselves as candidates for the one-year position for personal reasons.<br /><br />Skean said Heckman, a retired superintendent from Plainwell Community Schools, emailed him Sunday to inform him he would not be interviewing Thursday.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4rTS8w1Cb8/TfojTnsPrvI/AAAAAAAABaI/cZ9dHDBFIp4/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-16+at+11.10.56+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4rTS8w1Cb8/TfojTnsPrvI/AAAAAAAABaI/cZ9dHDBFIp4/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-16+at+11.10.56+AM.png" /></a>Steele, the principal at East Lansing High School, emailed and called Skean on Monday afternoon — the same day she was scheduled to interview.<br /><br />“I understand that in these tight economic times people are keeping their options open and there is flexibility at both ends,” Skean said. “I would have appreciated a longer notice.”<br /><br />The three remaining finalists include: Richard Ames, a retired superintendent of Hillsdale Community Schools and Springport Public Schools; Maurice Ware, the executive director of Educational Support Services for Battle Creek Public Schools; and Bobbi Morehead, most recently the principal at W.K. Kellogg Middle School in Battle Creek.<br /><br />On Tuesday, the board decided to move the special meeting to select its superintendent from next Monday to July 1.<br /><br />The rationale was to allow newly elected school board members Shawnette Spicer and Sonya Brown to be sworn in and vote on the hire.<br /><br />“I feel like I want everyone on the board to say, ‘We made this decision together’ … and to not be able to opt out of this process,” said board member Don Phillips.<br /><br />That meeting will take place at noon in the boardroom at Crowell School.<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/06/two_candidates_remove_themselv.html">Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 15, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83391675648167256.post-22991003397600279222011-06-12T08:31:00.000-07:002011-06-16T08:35:04.261-07:00Slow start spells end to record-setting season for Springport softballTaylor Heisler’s bomb over the left field fence with two outs in the seventh inning Saturday afternoon was an exclamation point on a season full of them for the young Springport High School softball team.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RjLdkF6StYg/Tfoikemj1VI/AAAAAAAABaE/PI_bYL8c5FY/s1600/Toune.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RjLdkF6StYg/Tfoikemj1VI/AAAAAAAABaE/PI_bYL8c5FY/s320/Toune.jpeg" width="271" /></a></div>But it was one of the few high notes the Spartans hit in the Division 3 regional final as veteran-laden Bath dismantled Springport 5-1.<br /><br />Bath had seven seniors on its roster, while Springport started six underclassmen.<br /><br />“Seniors matter,” Springport coach Jo Dee Johnston said after the Spartans closed a school record-setting 34-6 season. “It’s do or die with them, because you don’t get to come back and play again.”<br /><br />Springport scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to beat Grandville Calvin Christian 2-1 in the semifinals.<br /><br />Bath (31-6) knocked in two runs in the first inning, and Springport was forced to play catch-up the rest of the contest.<br /><br />Bath added two more runs in the third inning and one in the fifth — more than enough for Bath senior Taylor Toune, who pitched a three-hitter and drove in three runs.<br /><br />Johnston said she wasn’t concerned about Bath taking an early lead because she figured her team’s offense would spring to life.<br /><br />“To be honest, I wasn’t worried about the two, I wasn’t worried about the five, because we can come back anytime,” she said. “However, we didn’t really show up to hit.”<br /><br />Toune retired 10 straight batters to start the game, and singles by Hannah Baum and Becca Watson were the only hits until Heisler’s home run.<br /><br />Johnston gave freshman Sam Bates credit for fighting hard on the mound and said she didn’t tell her ace anything other than, “It’s just a game, come out and do your thing,” prior to handing her the ball.<br /><br />Bates struck out six and had two 1-2-3 innings. Bath had nine hits.<br /><br />Johnston said the loss ultimately was an opportunity to grow and reflect on a superb season.<br /><br />“We broke so many records and came home with so many trophies — and with a young team. Basically all of them are going to be back,” she said. “We’re going to be better. We’re going to be back with vengeance.”<br />-----<br /><i>As published in the <a href="http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/article/-1054262813682093476/springport-softball-closes-record-setting-season-with-loss-in-regional-final/">Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 12, 2011</a></i>RJ Waltershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137347448730526699noreply@blogger.com0